Spotlight Saturday

It's Spotlight Saturday Hosted By

Between the Lines and Survey Junkie

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Welcome to our fun blog hop with a twist!  Every week swing by to link up your blog and one you want to spotlight!  Did you find a new blog you liked this week?  Is there one you visit on a daily basis?  Well, simply link up your Spotlighted blog right under yours.  We will Spotlight our favorite blogs of the week in spots 4, 5, and 6.  

This week is I'm Spotlighting blueviolet from A Nut in a Nutshell!

How it Works

1) Link up your own blog.
2)Link up a blog you want to spotlight for the week.(ex. Spotlight: Roslyn's Closet)
3) Follow your three hosts.
4) Grab our button and post it on your sidebar or in a Spotlight Saturday Post.
5) Follow as many blogs from the list as you like and leave a comment so they know you stopped by.
6) Return the favor by following blogs that followed you.
(Be aware that URL's cannot be duplicated so please have a second spotlight choice in mind. If your blog's URL has already been spotlighted, just add one you'd like to spotlight. And don't forget to leave a comment with the blog you spotlighted so they can come and join the blog hopping fun! )

Don't Miss Spotlight Saturday

Don't forget tomorrow is Spotlight Saturday!  Hope you all come back in the morning to join us, along with Survey Junkie and Guest Host Beauty Brite for our fun little Blog Hop with a twist!!!  Link up your own blog and another that you would love to share with the rest of us!  Linky opens at midnight!

Fabulous Food Friday with Ninth Street Notions

Welcome to Fabulous Food Friday! While exploring the blogosphere, I realized that there were many great recipes to share. So every Friday this summer, I am going to  feature an awesome blogger with their great recipe! Today’s feature blogger is Amanda from Ninth Street Notions.  Amanda is an awesome blogger exploring new projects. She has some wonderful recipes and crafty ideas that you definitely should check out.  While you are there, don't miss her yummy Banana Bread recipe.  You will fall in love.  When you get a chance, swing by  her Facebook Page and join up so you don't miss any of her great idea.

Hi everybody! I'm Amanda, from Ninth Street Notions blog and Etsy shop. I'm so excited that Kelly has invited me to share this trio of recipes. They're inspired by Greek flavors, so they're light and refreshing and perfect for summer.

Plus, I personally relish any time I get to use the grill, summertime or not.

Grilled Kebabs

2 pounds steak

1 cup beer

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1 zucchini

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

1 onion

Cut steak into bite-size pieces. Mix beer, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and hot sauce in a large bowl and toss steak to coat. Marinate at least 30 minutes.

Cut vegetables into bite-size pieces. Thread the vegetables and marinated meat onto skewers.

Preheat grill. Grill the kebabs until meat is done, about 12-15 minutes. Let rest under aluminum foil about 5 minutes before serving.

Greek-Inspired Couscous Salad

1 10-ounce package plain couscous

2 roma tomatoes

1/4 fresh basil, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

4 ounces crumbled feta cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Prepare couscous according to package directions. Let cool to room temperature.

Chop tomatoes. Mix tomatoes, herbs, olive oil, lemon juice, feta cheese, and couscous together in a bowl.

Quick Tzatziki

1 cup plain yogurt

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup cucumber, peeled and grated

2 teaspoons fresh dill, chopped

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

Serve the couscous salad alongside the kebabs with the tzatziki for dipping. I really would have liked to use red onions for the kebabs, but apparently they don't sell those in the small town in which I live. ;)

These recipes are quick and simple, so you can try them even on a busy weekday night. 

Thanks again!

NeoStrata Giveaway!

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NeoStrata is about to launch a new line of Exuviance Serums.  Exuviance serums are the perfect way to supercharge your daily skincare regimen!  They have created four concentrated problem-solving essentials to target specific skin concerns including lines and wrinkles, pigmentation, dullness, oxidative damage and loss of elasticity.  Worn alone or layered to boost the benefits to your complexion, our serums combine active science and proven botanicals to offer multi-action coverage. 

NeoStrata has graciously offered a lucky reader a chance to try their new Exuviance Vespera Bionic Serum.  It concentrates potent Alpha Hydroxy and Polyhydroxy Acids to significantly improve seven signs of photoaging including lines and wrinkles, enlarged pores, loss of firmness, uneven pigment, dullness and rough texture.  Our patented Bionic and AHA/PHA blend is enhanced with a multivitamin complex and marine botanicals for added brilliance.   This Serum has been clinically proven to restore youthful radiance 212% in only six weeks*.

Mandatory Entry: Visit NeoStrata and join their email list. Come back and leave a comment that you did so.
Extras: (Remember each entry must have a separate comment and an email address is needed to contact winner.)
~Like NeoStrata on Facebook (2)
~  Follow NeoStrata on Twitter (2)
~Follow Between the Lines (2)
~ Subscribe to my email (5)
~ Like Between the Lines on Facebook (5)
~Add me to your Blogroll and leave a link (5)
~Follow me on Twitter (2)
~Tweet this giveaway leaving me your link. (3x a day not back to back) (1 entry each)
~Blog about this giveaway and leave me a link (10)

This giveaway will end on July14th @10p.m Eastern

*This giveaway is open to US only. Winner will be chosen randomly. An email notification will be sent to the email address provided by the winner. The winner must respond within 48 hours. Failure to do so will result in being disqualified and a new winner will be chosen.

Disclaimer: I received no compensation in exchange for my honest review. The opinions & thoughts expressed are my own.  I was under no obligation to give a positive review. Prizes are sent out by sponsor.  Between the Lines cannot be held responsible for prizes not honored.

Recipe Corner: Zucchini Bread

Yesterday, my girls and I went on a baking frenzy.  We wanted to try out a bunch of new recipes.  Unfortunately, not all of the recipes turned out very good.  This delicious moist zucchini bread, however, will have all members of your family asking for seconds! If you don’t want the temptation of eating the entire loaf, the bread freezes well. Enjoy!!

Do you have a mouthwatering recipe you would like to recommend? Shoot me an email at betweenthelines-kam@hotmail.com  and I can post it for all to enjoy!

Ingredients
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 1/4 cups white sugar
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions
1. Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
3. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans. (I sometimes sprinkle the top with cinnamon sugar too)
4. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

Is it better to save or repay debt?

Most financial advisers agree that it's a good idea to have at least three months' salary set aside, ready for a rainy day. Judging by recent headlines, though, many people are finding it really difficult at the moment to put money into savings.  

'Only a third of people saving for their pension'. 'People cutting back on spending to repay debt'. 'One in three households saved less over the last month'. These are the kind of headlines we see so often when we read the news these days. 

[Soft Break]Families all over the country are making difficult choices every day. Generally, it's better to pay off debt first before saving - but not in all circumstances.  

[Soft Break]The 'better off' argument 

Imagine your savings account has a 3% interest rate and your credit card charges 17% APR. 

If you put £500 into that account, you will earn around £15 in interest over one year. In the same period, £500 of debt on that credit card would cost around £85 in interest. (Note that this is a simplified example that doesn't take into account the effects of repayments over that time.) 

Put simply, that credit card would cost you more over one year than you could earn in interest on money in that savings account. So you would be financially better off if you were to repay your credit card first. 

Repaying a mortgage or loan early 

If your mortgage tracks the base rate, it's likely you're paying a low interest rate at the moment. You could take that opportunity to 'overpay' your mortgage while it's less expensive. By the time interest rates rise, you will have reduced the amount you owe by more than if you had just made your regular payments every month.  

However, if your mortgage - or any other debt - charges fees for early repayment, repaying early could work out to be the more expensive option. 

Consider the consequences 

There are strong arguments for saving - savings can deliver peace of mind and act as a safety net. Imagine a sudden drop in income or unexpected expense - without savings, you might well have to borrow.  

However, repaying your debt more rapidly than you actually have to can also make a lot of sense. Repaying a debt more quickly can drastically reduce the amount of interest you pay in total. Just make sure you make all the payments you actually must make in a month before you think about overpaying any of your debts. 

Related resources: 

• http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/pensions/8592101/Only-a-third-of-people-saving-for-retirement.html 
• http://www.thinkmoney.com/debt/ 
• http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre19.shtm